Forum:SAS 4 Gun Reviews/Shotguns
[[HVM 004|'HVM 004']] SkyrunnerM35 Being an HVM weapon, it may seem like it sucks, but since it was the first shotgun I got, I decided to use it. It was EPIC. (well, kind of) This shotgun combines decent damage per fletchette with a nice ROF and good reload. While the clip size is a bit small, it's actually the largest of all the shotguns, tied with the Stripper. I would recommend Deadly, as always, Capacity, since the clip size is pretty low, and whatever suits your fighting style for the 3rd slot. Erendian (talk) 20:35, October 18, 2014 (UTC) This review is, as usual, for the RED version. For me, testing a weapon is usually about finding out what it does that other guns don't. And the 004 gave me quite a hard time with it. It took me several games to realize that it gives something that very few other guns give you. Ranged, spammable, fire-and-forget wave clear. The spread of this gun is annoying(I'd prefer that it was about 15% tighter, allowing more single target damage), but this is exactly why this gun is good. You can fire half a dozen shots at a mob of zombies and it doesn't matter if you're aiming at the moon, because you can still expect to wipe them out. The wave clear is also good in and of itself, with the ability to take down both the aforementioned mobs as well as smaller groups, usually in about the same number of shots due to good damage and decent pierce. I have yet to really test it on a boss(I'm at that point where I'm fighting Necroses every game, and the only thing I don't use my HIKS for there is the Thermal Spawn), but from what I've seen I assume it will do a decent job of it, although I'd prefer to have something a little safer to use. The 004 has several smaller strengths, such as a very good firerate if you have the fingers for it, as well as a decent sized clip that, when augmented with full Capacity, makes it extremely easy to grind HD ammo with Field Supplies. However, it will start to slow you down as you start running across bigger enemies, such as Apex Bloater with Chit Hide. At that point, you'll want to swap it out for one of the more powerful guns you'll undoubtedly have at that point. Typical augments would be Deadly and Capacity, but the third slot will probably throw you for a while. I ended up choosing Pinpoint, simply because nothing else caught my eye, although I should have gone with Race Modded now that I actually think about it. All in all, a good gun if you lack waveclear, 6/10. 66mazda The RED version, with enough augs, is a very useful gun to use while you are searching for that one even better weapon you'll eventually get. The 004 is the best of all HVM weapons, with nicely balanced stats. It has good damage, decent pierce and capacity, acceptable reload time and movement penalty, useful spread, and "fire and forget wave clear" (Erendian). The in-game description for this gun is dead on accurate. It is a very powerful and easy to use shotgun. I suggest you try and appreciate it. Rating: 8/10 [[RIA 30 Strikeforce|'RIA 30 Strikeforce']] Razgriz Ghost 24-09-2014 High pierce = High amount of mob destruction. However, as you get into late game, more zombies tend to get Fiery Skin, countering this. However, this is still a very good weapon, even if restricted by its fire rate, and it's worth keeping if it has many augment slots. Eventually, however, by the level 25's, even a highly upgraded regular Strikeforce is only really that useful on Vaccine and Zombie Pods. Don't think this is a boss killer like the Stripper is, either. However, it can do wonders for regular Regurgitators. That's the regular version. The RED version is absolutely beautiful - it retains its pierce, and can theoretically deal MASSIVE DAMAGE (quotation necessary)! It works against bosses well due to its high damage and its low movement penalty, making a highly upgraded RED an effective late game weapon. Its ammo is considerably expensive, but if you can afford it, you'll basically be invincible for a while (save for Wickers and Fiery Skin Chitinous Hide). It's a great, versatile asset for any loadout or team. User:Dan67 The RIA 30 is probably your second best option when a HIKs or hornet are not available and a red version of the weapon with full deadly can out damage a regular subcompact 2 with ease. However, red version Ammo is going to drain a hole in your wallet so try to excerise trigger discipline when using this weapon for the hordes or better against bosses. Pootis Man 01-10-2014 The RED version does more than 300 damage... each pellet. Yeah, that's right. Each PELLET does OVER 300 DAMAGE NOT COUNTING DAMAGE OVER TIME, but tiny fire rate and tiny clip balances it out. Get deadly, tenacious/race modded and capacity for max spam. Fire this thing ever second or less for max effeciancy. Erendian 03-10-2014 For me, the Strikeforce is a conundrum. As I did with many guns, I abandoned the regular version quickly, this time in favor of the regular HIKS S300, which is an all around much better gun. But the RED version is much harder to overlook. It's, in a few words, an absolutely great gun. But you only have two slots for main firearms, and it has to take one. The obvious thing to do is take it as a boss killer or to kill tough zombies that have Chitinous Hide. But to do that, you have to get rid of whatever occupies that role in your current loadout, which for me is the same HIKS S300 that replaced the RED version's little brother. Now, I love my HIKS. I still consider it one of the best guns in the game and if it wasn't so good I wouldn't even be thinking about whether or not I should replace it with the Strikeforce. And, because they occupy similar roles, I'm going to compare them, because they both do things that the other doesn't, and which one you would take is entirely based on your playstyle. The Strikeforce actually has more potential damage than a HIKS without Deadly(320x8=2560, and the burn damage on the Strikeforce can overcome the last little bit that the HIKS' burn gives.) But, this is a perfect shot, where every pellet hits the same target. This means you have to be close to your target, and your aim has to be spot on. The Strikeforce also has much more waveclear than the HIKS, making it better for crowds of Chitinous Hide zombies. Meanwhile, the HIKS gives you the ability to fight from long distance. From the distance that I can hit a dev with the HIKS, the Strikeforce would deal half the total damage it could, at best. The HIKS definitely doesn't suffer from this problem. The HIKS is also better for boss killing, as you can get more damage downrange with its higher fire rate, with the aforementioned better range. However, it lacks waveclear, and it is also harder to find one with decent augments at the same level you can get a RED Strikeforce with good augs, meaning the Strikeforce will probably get better results anyway. Additionally, Deadly is much more efficient on the Strikeforce, giving 32x8 damage per point. However, leaving the comparison behind, if used properly, the Strikeforce can actually be used as a main weapon, freeing you up for some other utility weapon in your second slot(Although what you would use I have no idea.) Finally, I have to say that with 7 points in Field Supplies, fully upgraded Capacity, and using it as a secondary weapon, I have no problems with ammo on the Strikeforce. Bryan Kwok 07-10-2014 Check out my review here, it's too long. SCAS24 08-5-15 to me this is the only shotgun in the game that actually plays the roll of a shotgun (at least the red is). absolute devastation at close range, yet utterly useless at any defenition of "range". doesn't matter if you're aiming for the zombie or that masquito on the wall, you'll probably hit both because of spread. spam? you don't even need more than the spray of bullets that exits the barrel every time you pull the trigger (unless you like shooting the wall). and now that there are contracts with prem. ammo field supplies is more or less useless. the only reason i replaced this is because i got the ronson WP. augs? well the fire rat is slow as crap so overclocked might be useful, otherwise the usual for thermal weapons. 66mazda It has nice damage, and acceptable movement penalty, but it just fires too slow. The 1 rps almost got me killed on several occasions (T-101 Feldhaubitz has that same problem, although not as severe). However, it is a great supporting weapon. Just fire at a mob and let your team and your other gun do the rest. Recommended augments: Deadly, Adaptive, Overclocked, Tenacious, Capacity Rating: 3/10 [[Stripper|'Stripper']] A-Player If played well, the best shotgun hands down. Although, if you cannot use this gun properly it can be very lacking. Its a full-auto shotgun, with an 18 round capacity by default, and its one of 2 poison guns in the game, the Tenacious damage on this gun is incredible, allowing you to shoot, then turn around and ignore them, as they will die shorty afterwards. Do not take its low base damage per pellet as making it useless, the Stripper is probably in the top 10 guns in the game if you can use it.(as in can be better then sub-light in a RED level 10 3star comparison) Another player Agreed with A-Player. If you use this shotgun right, it'll probably be the only weapon you need as the damage over time on this weapon is ridiculous if you can upgrade it (if you can, just keep upgrading until you hit level 10). The DOT (Damage Over Time) also gives it an advantage over shotguns when it comes to ranged kills. Wikia Contributor: Automatic shot gun - 6 pellets with 210 damage over time (1,260 if all pellets connect). Upgrade it with Tenecious and piercing and it becomes a powerful shotgun. Good against Devastators and the Necrosis (except for the Chemical Spawn). Fredy-san 10-11-2014 Between this or shockfield. Stripper is more like slower (in terms of kill speed and move speed) version of instant-erase best-shotgun Shockfield. Its bullets is cheaper too and bigger capacity means you can run on field supplies on this. Get tenacious and also piercing are recommended. The other augment can be filled with anything between capacity, race modded, or RPS. Jared_Hale7 This gun is really useful in he higher levels. Can be used to take down high leveled zombies,bosses and pods.Although the slow fire rate and the bad pierce,this is a very good shotgun. Full auto too! M O A B 11-21-2014 Best weapon ever!!! I got one with nothing on it at rank 15 and I used it until rank 28, now I am rank 29, when I got a 4*** better Stripper. OK, ammo is a bit costy, more than $1 per shot, but fully automatic and posion makes this gun great to use. Also low movement penalty is also better. I would recomend the tencuios this, sorry wrong spelling, overclocked, and capacity. I regret getting deadly, but I think it works fine. Also mine came with piercing but that is not too bad. Overall, this is a great weapon. Forgotten Madness 15/12/14 Amazing. Simply amazing. If used right, you get a great boss killer. Not many zombies come with Poisoned Limbs, and only the Regurgitator and Green Necrosis Spawn have guaranteed Chemical resistance. Don't be fooled by the stats, you multiply damage and DoT by 6. Initia damage may still seem weak, but when you wait three seconds, the enemy has lost some health. Ammo may be expensive, but it's not as expensive as the Shockfield. It's full-auto, so you can hold down the mouse and watch the zombies slowly die. Recommended augments are Tenacious, for more DoT, Overclocked to fire faster and Capacity so you don't worry much about reloading. Evmeister1217 12/14/14 Are you tired of a semi-auto shotgun. Well the Stripper can solve that. This automatic, yet sort of low rps, can nail any zombie, even poisoned limbs zombies with a few rounds with high tenacious augments. The recommended augments would be tenacious for more poison damage over time. Capacity for more bullets per clip. And race modded for more bullets more often. All in all this weapon can be a zombie eating machine. Runner 24/12/14 Hands down the best boss killer in the game until you get a RED Hornet. Full auto plus DoT means insane single target damage. The only bosses with poison resistance are the Regurgitator and the Necrosis Spawn which are easily dealt with and pretty harmless. Tenacious and OC are a must to maximise DoT, and third aug should be either Race to basically never stop firing, or Pierce if you want to use this for mobs too. Big B1 12/30/14 With tenacious and pierce, this gun can be used as a main gun but its mostly a boss gun. with tenacious 5, it can take down a zombie mech, reguritator, loaderbot, and a wicker in just 2 clips and its not even red. you dont even need deadly with this gun. im level 35 and i carry this gun everywhere with me do recommend. Evmeister1217 4/18/15 This shotgun is a very good shotgun. The automatic firing is great. The DoT is good especially with high tenacious level. Being a chemical weapon, it makes is great for any boss, besides chemical necrosis spawn. Recommended augments would be tenacious, capacity, the 18 capacity needs more rounds, and adaptive for nightmare mode. Kangaroo132 5/14/15 I got a 7* at rank 27, which I was more than happy with. I slapped tenacious on it for over 150'damage over time and equipped it with it's electrical brother. And really I think this will last me a while (I'm now rank 32 and still using them). The stripper is a great boss killer (although regurgitators might be an exeption), and for crowds I have my trusty shockfield. To summarise, the stripper is a great DoT weapon, which makes up for the fact it's ammo isn't the cheapest. It is one of the best boss killers, and the bane of all devastators. So if you get one and don't have one yet; keep it. [[1887 Shockfield|'1887 Shockfield]] ' 'Awesomizer - 5/3/2015 Le 1887 Shockfield is my favorite gun. It has extremely high damage per second (for its level range, 10-30) - 11520. It has a pierce of 3, which makes it great for crowding, however not the best. It has about 35 degrees of spread, which isn't bad but not perfect either. But we run into a problem here. The tiny clip of 5 can be emptied in less than a second. It isn't so bad if you have fast reload. But ever since the update of 4/30/15, the reload base cap was set to 20%. It does have a quick reload (2.00) though. It is recommended that you should augment Deadly, Overclocked, Adaptive, and Capacity. Skeletor--- 22/03/2015 This is absolutely my all-time favorite gun. The spread and pierce are devastating to large crowds, especially in a pinch. And it is the only gun I have ever been ablt to complete the VIP mission with so far (I'm only level 19, bear with me) and it is, I feel, because it destroys the zombdroids very easily because they dont have energy risilient and take the full damage. The one I have atm came to me as a virgin 3**, to wich I put on Capacity and Deadly. This gun is the utimate crowd mower, and combined with its incredible damage to bosses (especially the robotic zombies) makes it an extremely powerful, well-rounded weapon. I just can't wait to get the best virgin I can get of it... langston201: This is an amazing gun, with good pierce, good dps, it has lots of rounds, and it provides fast movement. You absolutely need capacity, otherwise you only have five rounds, but you can just mow down zombies. It is spammable, but this should only be used in boss fights. You can easily take down a boss in a couple of clips. A thing to watch out for, though, is overkilling. For example, do not click twice on a shambler zombie, because you will use double the ammo you should have (It can one hit kill most shamblers). It can kill an elite Fetid Bloater in 3 shots, and it can mow down zombies. Good augs are deadly, capacity, and maybe adaptive or race modded. Doomsdayglock 15-09-2014 Arguably to be one of the best guns in this game, this gun has a really impressive damage, enables you to take zombies or even boss zombies down in ease. It's pierce is also good and enables you to wipe out crowds of zombies The another advantage is that this gun has no movement penalty, letting you move as fast as you like and also delivering devastating strikes to enemies. The only problem for this gun is that is has a really, really small clip(5 actually) and you'd need to reload a lot. The preferred augments for this gun is capacity,deadly,adaptive(later on stage, you really need it),piercing. If you get this gun, just keep it and prepare to give the zombies some shock. User:Dan67: The 1887 shockfield is arguabley a great shotgun to own wither it's red or Orginial this smokestack shotgun inflicts 1,600 damage when all pellets connect to their target which can kill a majority of zombies if used properly. Recommended augmentations are capacity to reduce the amount reloads between skirmishes, deadly for more damage and adaptive to counter energy resilient zombies. GoldenApple_NB 15-09-2014 In a rush? take hold of 0% movement AND 1600 dmg per shot firepower with this weapon! Probably the best gun to run through hordes of mobs and rushing through the map in Vaccine. However, it's not very suitable for boss battles, but with concussion, it'll be very useful supporting gun. Lady Blue 21-10-2014 @GoldenApple_NB, it's 160.0 DPH not 1600. Anyway, overall, I like this gun. The things it doesn't work well for are purge nests. Anything else, this is about all you need until you find a HIKS S300 or Hornet. It is one of the few shotguns in SAS4 that I'll ever recommend. On my level 23 medic character, I use it as my main weapon, despite the 5 round capacity. I'm hoping to find one with a decent amount of augment slots to solve that problem. Only augments I would give it are capacity (it REALLY needs this) and deadly, but the only one I'd really say is required would be capacity. Fredy-san 10-11-2014 Best shotgun? Nope, better be, it is one the BEST GUN you could think in SAS4. Great base damage with 10 pellets spread, 0% movespeed penalty, 3 piercing by default, and energy bullet type. The problem it has are its capacity and the related ammo cost. If you don't running field supplies and simply could afford to buy its more-expensive-than-average ammo, get reload speed instead capacity. It is might be not the best when compared to specialized guns used for single task between mob control or boss killing. But this gun is the best overall as it can just works all right with above average result for both. Technological Terror Got this from a titanium strongbox, its very good for killing regular mobs and uncovering secret areas, but not good for devastators or necrosis. I got a hiks before I got this gun, so I use hiks and shockfield. Disagreement to scrace down there, I don't have pay grade and I manage just fine. Scrace 24/11/14 Just say this to a horde of zombies while wielding this gun: "You're the grass of my garden and I need to mow it." It has an exelllent amount of damage (I mean, 180 damage for a single pellet, and it shoots out 10 pellets!), along with the 0% mobility penalty. The pierce is 3, therefore making it extremely powerful. However, the downsides are that the clip is 5, not enough for its 5 RPS (you will run out of a clip in 1 second, I mean, that's tiny) and that the ammo cost is too expensive if you dontt have Pay Grade. My recommendation of augments are Deadly, Capacity and Piercing. Not just the best shotgun, but the gun in the whole of SAS 4. Jared_Hale: I agree with Scrace and Fred. The zombies are like freaking grass and you need to mow them. The only flaw with this is that it needs to be full auto. It would change the area up if you place it full auto. Other than that,this is a good weapon. 10 flechettes?!?! More than any other gun. 66mazda Not only that this Energy shotgun is the best shotgun (hands down), it deserves to be a candidate for one of the best SAS4 weapons. High damage (total and per flechette) and acceptable pierce means this shotgun has potential as a crowd control weapon and a single target neutralizer. If you click fast enough, Energy Resiliance zombies are not such a big threat. 0% movement penalty only helps (when running away, rushing etc.). Plus, it's relatively fast reload somewhat makes up for the meager 5 clip (before augments). It's an acceptable boss fighter. But, it's not a weapon for all situations, mainly due to the small clip (you'll be reloading often). I've found out it excels in Zombie Pods (in level 38, I can destroy a Purge Nest in only a few shots in single player), does well in Last Stand and Ice Station, and has acceptable performance in Power Out. It may work out well for you in other missions. I don't mind the fact that it's semi-auto, but I give you a warning stating that the clip will be depleted in a matter of seconds, no matter what. Recommended augments: Deadly, Capacity (1st priority), Race Modded, Adaptive (an essential later), and piercing. Rating: 8/10 SomaK1 (24/04/2015) I consider it as one of the 5 best weapons that you can find in this game (beside Hornet, HiksS300, Sublight, Luftplatzen). Standard 3*10 RED deals 61.000 DPS with l5 mastery (not counted other stuffs) which is the highest among red weapons. Weak point is that it has 5 base capacity, so unless you have +5 from red shotgun collection, capacity must be among your augments. Otherwise your RPS, counting the reload time, will be around 5.8 RPS instead of the potentail 8 RPS (and that equals to decreased DPS). Great advantage compared to sublight and hornet that it can take down Shielders in front of you without moving around due to the spread. Bad thing for bosses is that you have to get closer to make sure all of your pellets hit the bosses. Augments: 1, deadly (2, capacity if dont have +5 red shock collection bonus) 3, Race modded 4, Adaptive 5, Pinpoint. Shotlite Tempest GoldenApple NB (talk) 04:37, March 27, 2015 (UTC) Best shotgun in game as only legitmate fully automatic shotgun. You all know I'm fan of Hard Thorn. Now, this removes the only flaw of HT: movement and capacity. at almost 3X the capacity, it'll mow down ANYTHING and will not disappoint you if used in right level correctly. Zombie Decapitator Put Deadly and OC and its OP. I've tried it, and even though it only has 1 pierce, it eviscerates a horde - FAST. Best shotgun for me. Oh, and when you reach tier 3 for the Shotgun mastery, its even more awesome. There's nothing more better than taking one of these guns, luring zombies into a circle, pressing and holding the trigger button and watching them explode (and releasing a ton of limbs) all in less than 2 seconds. Fedorastorm (5-4-2015) "When you absolutely, positivly, have to kill every mother****er in the room." This gun feels like a more economical Hard Thorn to me. The damage is about the same, but this guy comes with a bigger mag and slightly priceier ammo. It'll rip hordes to bits and is ok against bosses. Deadly is always a solid choice. Throw capacity on here and reloads will happen AFTER everything's dead. The only downside is that this gun eats ammo like crazy. I can go through almost my entire stock in a single game. Hawkfire7 (Oct.15, 2015) This gun is a godly weapon, with the right augments and skills. I personally love this gun, having a 12/4 6/10 black version of it. This gun decimates large crowds near instantly, even NM mode zombies and strong/large ones. The same can apply for bosses, since 6 base cores works wonders on this gun. This is superior to the Hard Thorn, a very similar gun, due to the fact that it has a larger clip and has nearly the same benefits from masteries and collections. As of now, I am looking for one more core from the game, and then I will finish augmentation rewards to fully core this beast.